Therefore objective validity and necessary universality (for everybody) are equivalent terms, and though we do not know the object in itself, yet when we consider a judgment as universal, and also necessary, we understand it to have objective validity.

--Immanuel Kant, Prolegomen To Any Future Metaphysics, Section 19.

Tragedy, therefore, is imitation of worthy and complete action having magnitude, in speech made pleasing with each form [of pleasing ornamentation]used separately in the parts of tragedy, performed and not produced through narration, achieving through pity and fear a catharsis of such affections.

Janie, back in the neighborhood where I grew up the summers were great. We used to link together several garden hoses at our house and stretch about half-way up the next-door yard, and the friend across the street next to the park would do the same, and we'd meet in the middle with garden hoses and have a great water fight. We lived on a privileged, quiet, one-way street, so traffic was usually neighbors who knew us and who slowed and we moved out of the way, then continued the fight. We also played hide-and-seek a lot through the large landscaped yards (lots of evergreen hedges and small trees). Barefoot. And yes, the Pacific Northwest is known for it's large slugs. So often after our barefoot games, we'd go home and soak feet and scrub the slug slime off. Par for the course.

Amos and Rapaire, I was actually thrilled to see where you guys went with that little volatile thought I threw in, but the shit kicking boots just seemed to fit the occasion after a dozen philosophical outbursts. Know what I mean? Yin and Yang.

Hmmm...here's Le Mythe de Sisyphe, and here's Marty Buber, and good ol' Sein und Zeit. The two Martys! And Ionesco! Haven't read Les Chaises in a month of Sundays! And La guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu! Giraudoux, by crackey! And Ἡράκλειτος ὁ Ἐφέσιος! Lordy, I haven't been in this section of...Anicius Manlius Severinus Boëthius! Oh, my heart is fluttering a mile a minute! I must sit down and fan myself or I shall indeed swoom!

I'm alright now, Amos, and I appreciate your concern. I took a whiff of smelling salts and a nice cup of tea and I'm fine now. It's just that I haven't been in that section of my library for so long I was a bit overcome for a moment. It brought back memories of long discussions over wine and Gauloises at the little tables of the sidewalk cafes during my college days, where we would sit an argue for hours over whether Sisyphus or Prometheus was the best symbol for Mankind and the exact meaning of "is" in the Tao Te Chin.

"Probably around January 897, Stephen (VI) VII ordered that the corpse of his predecessor Formosus be removed from its tomb and brought to the papal court for judgement. With the corpse propped up on a throne, a deacon was appointed to answer for the deceased pontiff.

Formosus was accused of transmigrating sees in violation of canon law, of perjury, and of serving as a bishop while actually a layman. Eventually, the corpse was found guilty.

Liutprand and other sources say that Stephen had the corpse stripped of its papal vestments, cut off the three fingers of his right hand used for benedictions, and declared all of his acts and ordinations (including his ordination of Stephen (VI) VII as bishop of Anagni) invalid. The body was finally interred in a graveyard for foreigners, only to be dug up once again, tied to weights, and cast into the Tiber River.

According to Liutprand's version of the story, Stephen (VI) VII said: "When you were bishop of Porto, why did you usurp the universal Roman See in such a spirit of ambition?"[16]

The macabre spectacle turned public opinion in Rome against Stephen. Rumors circulated that Formosus' body, after washing up on the banks of the Tiber, had begun to perform miracles. A public uprising led to Stephen being deposed and imprisoned. While in prison, in July or August of 897, he was strangled.

In December 897, Pope Theodore II (897) convened a synod that annulled the Cadaver Synod, rehabilitated Formosus, and ordered that his body, which had been recovered from the Tiber, be reburied in Saint Peter's Basilica in pontifical vestments. In 898, John IX (898?900) also nullified the Cadaver Synod, convening two synods (one in Rome, one in Ravenna) which confirmed the findings of Theodore II's synod, ordered the acta of the Cadaver Synod destroyed, and prohibited any future trial of a dead person.

However, Pope Sergius III (904?911), who as bishop had taken part in the Cadaver Synod as a co-judge, overturned the rulings of Theodore II and John IX, reaffirming Formosus' conviction,[17] and had a laudatory epitaph inscribed on the tomb of Stephen (VI) VII."

Poor, poor Mom. Abandoned by everyone, alone with her bourbon and branch for seven hours now! Here, Mother dear, let me help you back into your chair. And here's a new bottle; you've spilled the other ones.

I just keep panning my poke out of the streams around here. Thought about building a sluice box or a rocker, but decided not to attract attention, 'specially since it's on Shoshone land and they git right touchy about stuff like that.

Amos's town is afflicted with the Geezer Bandit, but there is a Mayonnaise bandit committing condiment-related crimes in Idaho! I surely hope this doesn't inspire any copycat incidents on my side of the state.

Inquiring minds want to know why an Idaho Librarian is learning about crimes against Idaho libraries from the China People's Daily???? Is this a, ummmm, standard process established by Director Rapaire? Hmmmm? Do you have a lit of his friends?

During the Cultural Revolution, people accused of crimes had large sketches of themselves published in the daily rags and were made to wear white dunce caps and parade through town. Of course, during that time it was the librarians themselves who were thought to be the bad guys, not those being mean to them, more's the pity. Even now, the People's Daily continues to print perpetrators' photos very large. The next standard procedure is for everyone to shout a slogan at the criminal. In this case it may be something like: "Down with the use of mayonnaise to communicate displeasure!" or "Stop destructive condimentizing!"

As for why People's Daily was chosen to show Mom in the first place---simple. None of the others showed the Condiment Geezer in such a dramatic mug shot. Mom wanted everyone to be on the lookout, just in case.

Condiments are still better than acid, flammable liquids, lit cigarettes and matches, fireworks and other things that have been shoved down bookdrops. That's the main reason bookdrops are, whenever possible, separate entities out by the curb instead of being through-the-wall slots -- which in new construction require a separate sprinkler head! The modern curbside bookdrops will snuff a fire within seconds (lack of oxygen) and limit the amount of damage to the returned materials. They will also withstand the explosion of an M-100 firecracker, equivalent to approximately 1/4 stick of commercial dynamite. And I'd rather folks had to hand mayonnaise-covered materials than stuff covered with battery acid.

Oh, I find I forgot to mention those wonderful people who use glue for various tricks....

Back when Rapaire was running things the librarians were mustard every day; but this did not cure them of being full of pepper and vinegar.

It fascinates me how absolutely wrong-o the human mind can get in selecting its targets. The computation must be something along this line: All my troubles are caused by other people; the public is composed of other people; the library is open to the public and is a public institution out there in public; therefore I can wreak my revenge on the girls who were mean to me in grade school by striking back at the public library! Hah!! I'm BRILLIANT I tell you. I know!! Mayonnaise in the book drop!

Dear Gawd, that a species endowed with the capacity for reason should stoop so low.

The library, any library, is seen as a weak institution run by "old ladies in tennis shoes who go 'shush'". It isn't and never was, but that is the perception based on decades of books and films. Most users are good people, but others forget about library staff are justordinarypeopleworkingto serve and educate the public.

Nope, it's her. She's actually an elf or something: "...library jacket, RED CAP, and Browning Buckmark pistol" as the poem goes. She really does live up an aery mountain in a rushy glen and you daren't go anywhere near there for fear of her little men.